Sustainability Management

Bittium has a separate sustainability working group, which develops, monitors, and assesses key sustainability indicators and the achievement of targets.

sustainability report 2023
Bittium Sustainability

Sustainability Organization and Risk Management

Bittium has a separate sustainability working group, which develops, monitors, and assesses key sustainability indicators and the achievement of targets. The working group is tasked with the management and scanning of sustainability risks as well as sustainability reporting in the company.

The sustainability working group is led by the Vice President, Communications and Sustainability. The group has six (6) members: the CEO; Vice President, Communications and Sustainability; Chief Legal Officer; CFO; Director, Human Resources; and Head of Quality and the Environment. The sustainability working group holds quarterly meetings and prepares the sustainability report. Bittium’s management and the Board of Directors review the sustainability report annually (management review).

Bittium’s Management Group discusses sustainability issues, monitors the effectiveness of sustainability measures, and sets sustainability targets in its twice-yearly management review. The Management Group is also responsible for implementing sustainability plans and actions in day-to-day operations.

The Audit Committee of Bittium Corporation’s Board of Directors discusses sustainability issues on a regular basis and as needed. The Audit Committee oversees the company’s preparations for the introduction of the new Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive.  The Committee monitors the company’s sustainability reporting and the assurance thereof.

The Board of Directors of Bittium Corporation discusses sustainability issues on the basis of the Management Group’s proposals and approves the company’s annual sustainability report.

The management of risks related to the company’s operations and the operating environment, as well as the relevant processes, are described in Bittium’s Corporate Governance Statement.

Bittium’s Ethical Principles and Code of Conduct

Bittium’s ethical principles comprise the following areas of sustainability:

1) Anti-corruption measures

The nature of Bittium’s market area and business sector makes corruption one of the main risks related to social sustainability and human rights. Bittium does not condone any forms of bribery or corruption in its operations or those of its partners. Bittium updated its internal and external anti-corruption guidelines in 2017. The employees receive training on the guidelines.

Bittium expects its partners to comply with these guidelines. The company uses a monitoring tool for detecting corruption and other irregularities in the operations of its partners.

The company’s external and internal stakeholders have access to a channel for reporting violations of anti-corruption rules. There were no cases of corruption reported to Bittium in 2023.

2) Information security and protection

Bittium’s information security and data protection policies specify the methods employed in the classification, storage and disclosure of information.

3) Fair business, advertising and competition

Bittium follows the rules on fair business, advertising and competition. The company has access to different methods of securing our customers’ information in accordance with information security procedures.

4) Corporate citizenship

The company supports community involvement in order to promote social and economic development.

5) Protection of intellectual property rights

Bittium respects intellectual property rights and applies its IPR strategy and guidelines to all of its operations.

Sustainable purchasing is also an essential part of our sustainable business operations. The principles of sustainable purchasing have been described in greater detail in Confidential customer relationships and secure products.

Stakeholder Cooperation

Bittium’s operations affect a wide range of stakeholders. Understanding their views and expectations is important for the company’s operations and success. Open dialogue with the stakeholders helps to develop Bittium’s operations, products and solutions as well as a goal-driven approach to finding solutions to social challenges.

Bittium works in cooperation with national as well as international stakeholders. The major stakeholders include Bittium’s employees, customers, various suppliers, cooperation partners, authorities and other parties regulating the operations, shareholders and investors, students and educational institutions as well as various communities. The company’s stakeholder-related activities are guided by good governance and the Code of Conduct.

Personnel

Bittium arranges several different staff events each year where employees get the opportunity to ask questions and give feedback. The opportunity to have open dialog and present questions directly to the management has formed a key part of communication. During the COVID-19 pandemic, all staff events were held online to safeguard the employees’ health and business continuity. In these events, the dialog between the management and employees was even more active than in on-site events, and the possibility to participate regardless of location significantly increased the number of participants. This is why it was decided that the events will be online events even after the COVID-19 pandemic subdued.

In 2023, the company underwent major changes in its operating practices and processes. Staff events and briefings related to the changes were arranged more frequently than usual to support the communication and implementation of the changes.

In addition to staff events, Bittium’s employees can give feedback through the annual anonymous employee survey. Equal treatment and open interaction are important to our employees. Employees expect us to offer interesting and meaningful work, and opportunities for professional growth. In addition to the annual employee surveys, the company obtains information on the well-being of employees through quarterly pulse surveys, which allows for any issues to be addressed more rapidly. The results of all surveys are available to the employees in the company intranet.

Customers

Customers feedback is received on a continuous basis, primarily by means of frequent communication and through various annual surveys. In 2023, surveys were carried out both by means of interviews and online. Feedback is collected from various levels of customer organizations, ranging from project personnel to senior management. The customer feedback collection method has proved to be effective and it will be continued in 2024.

The Scrum and Agile methods we use and the supporting online systems (as real-time as possible) allow ongoing monitoring and open dialog. This enables us to quickly react to potential problems.

Our customers value competitive and reliable products and services as well as our sustainable and real-time approach to our operations. Our major customers are leading international companies. Although the COVID-19 pandemic taught flexible cooperation via the internet, face-to-face meetings are perceived as delivering higher engagement and commitment. Product and project inspections and approvals, in particular, are easier to carry out face-to-face.

Suppliers and partners

When it comes to our suppliers and other partners, we have often worked with them in close cooperation for a long time following established rules and ways of working. Constant communication enables open dialog. Suppliers and partners expect fair and sustainable operations and long-term cooperation from Bittium. For its part, Bittium expects that the business operations of its suppliers and partners are sustainable, and this is monitored on a regular basis.

Authorities

Bittium maintains a regular line of communication with the authorities, for example, with regard to export control and information security issues. The company regularly monitors compliance with laws and regulations. Applying them to the company’s business operations requires open and ongoing interaction with the authorities.

Local cooperation

As part of sustainable corporate citizenship, Bittium actively cooperates with various communities. The expectations of different communities are met in a variety of ways. The company regularly supports educational institutions and schools to introduce young students to working life – and not forgetting the teachers. Thanks to this collaboration, Bittium is also able to recruit new and enthusiastic graduates.

Research and development cooperation with companies and research institutions broadens Bittium’s expertise and makes it possible to mutually promote development.

Shareholders and investors

Shareholders, investors and analysts expect that Bittium provides long-term value and acts in a sustainable manner. Analysts who follow the company are met on a regular basis, and the company participates in events organized for institutional investors. The Annual General Meeting, which takes place once a year, provides the shareholders with the opportunity to meet and discuss with the company’s management and Board of Directors.

In 2021, the company engaged in discussions taking place in a moderated discussion forum aimed at investors in order to increase and improve communication with investors. In 2023, this work was continued with the aim of improving understanding of the company’s strategy and business through open and transparent discussion.

In connection with updating its strategy, the company organized a Capital Markets Day for analysts and investors in 2023. The event was organized as an in-person event in the Helsinki metropolitan area. Following presentations, investors had the opportunity to meet representatives of the company’s management and largest shareholders, and learn more about the company’s products and services. Attending the event virtually was also possible. A total of 40 people attended the event in person, and 374 people watched the event online. The recording of the event had been viewed 786 times by the end of 2023.

Bittium Whistleblowing Guidelines

1. Introduction – what is whistleblowing, and why is it important?

Our organisation strives to achieve transparency and a high level of business ethics. Our whistleblowing channel offers a possibility to alert the organisation about suspicions of misconduct in a confidential way. It is an important tool for maintaining trust in our operations by enabling us to detect and act on possible misconduct at an early stage. Whistleblowing can be done openly or anonymously.

2. When to blow the whistle?

The whistleblowing channel can be used to alert us about serious risks of wrongdoing affecting people, our organisation, the society or the environment. The service may be used for reporting conduct that may be inconsistent with the Bittium´s Ethical Principles and Code of Conduct, or laws or regulations.

Also reports under the scope of the Finnish Whistleblower Act may be submitted to the channel. In respect of reporting misconduct in the course of the whistleblower´s work, the Finnish Whistleblower Act implementing the European Union´s Whistleblower Directive includes an obligation to establish internal reporting channel through which such whistleblowers can report misconduct. Whistleblower Act prohibits retaliation against whistleblowers (for instance laying off the whistleblower due to the report). To receive the whistleblower protection detailed in the Whistleblower Act, at the time of submitting the report, the whistleblower must be reporting a breach they have discovered in the course of their work, the whistleblower must have a legitimate reason to believe that their information about the breach to be reported is true and the information about the breach is included in the material scope of the Whistleblower Act as set out below.

According to the Whistleblower Act, punishable breaches related to, for example, the following EU or national areas of legislation within a work-related context can be reported to the channel:

  • Public procurement (excluding defence and security spending)
  • Financial services, products, and markets
  • Prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing
  • Product safety and conformity
  • Traffic safety
  • Environmental protection
  • Radiation and nuclear safety
  • Food and feed safety and animal health and welfare
  • Public health as defined by article 168 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union
  • Consumer protection
  • Protection of privacy and personal data, and security of network and information systems

    Read more about the material scope and other requirements of the Whistleblower Act at the official webpage of the Chancellor of Justice of Finland on Whistleblower protection.

Please note that employees are asked to contact their supervisor for issues relating to dissatisfaction in the workplace or related human resources matters, as these issues cannot be investigated in the scope of whistleblowing.

Please note that deliberate reporting of false or malicious information is forbidden. Abuse of the whistleblowing service is a serious disciplinary offence.

3. How to blow the whistle?

There are different ways to raise a concern:

  • Alternative 1: Contact a supervisor or manager within our organisation.  
  • Alternative 2: Anonymous or confidential messaging through the whistleblower reporting channel to the whistleblowing team: https://report.whistleb.com/en/bittium.
  • Alternative 3: If your concern falls under the material scope of the Whistleblower Act and the report has been made in accordance with the said legislation, you may be entitled to report your concern to centralised external reporting channel of the Office of the Chancellor of Justice of Finland or directly to the competent authority. Read more at the official webpage of the Chancellor of Justice of Finland on centralised external reporting channel.

4. The investigation process

The whistleblowing team

Access to messages received through our whistleblowing channel is restricted to appointed individuals with the authority to handle whistleblowing cases. Their actions are logged and handling is confidential. At Bittium, the reports received through the whistleblowing channel are investigated by our whistleblowing team consisting of the Chairman of the Audit Committee and Chief Legal Officer as the admins of the channel, and the selected members of the Bittium´s Sustainability Working Group who oversee or conduct the investigations. If necessary, assistance from corporate or external experts or officials may be needed to conduct an investigation.

Receiving a message

The whistleblower will receive an acknowledgment of receipt of the report within 7 days. Upon receiving a message, the whistleblowing team decides whether to accept or decline the report.

The whistleblowing team may not investigate the reported misconduct if:

  • the alleged conduct is not reportable conduct under these Whistleblowing guidelines
  • the message has not been made in good faith or is malicious
  • there is insufficient information to allow for further investigation
  • the subject of the message has already been solved

If the report is declined, the whistleblower will be provided with the reasons for the decision. If the report is accepted, appropriate measures for investigation will be taken.

Investigation

All messages are treated seriously and in accordance with these Whistleblowing guidelines. 

  • No one from the whistleblowing team, or anyone taking part in the investigation process, will attempt to identify the whistleblower.
  • The whistleblowing team can, when needed, submit follow-up questions via the channel for anonymous communication. 
  • A report will not be investigated by anyone who may be involved with or connected to the wrongdoing.
  • Whistleblowing messages are handled in absolute confidence by the parties involved.

The whistleblowing team shall inform the whistleblower within three months from the acknowledgment of receipt of the report of the measures to be implemented on the basis of the report.

The whistleblowing channel is administrated by WhistleB, an external service provider. All messages are encrypted. To ensure the anonymity of the person sending a report, WhistleB deletes all meta data, including IP addresses. The person sending the report also remains anonymous in the subsequent dialogue with responsible receivers of the report.

5. Privacy Policy

For information on how we process personal data in the service, please visit our Whistleblowing Channel’s Privacy Policy.